Exoavatoe



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. COX.

EXGAVATOR. No. 375,132. Patented Dec, 20,1887.

WITNESSES: l/VVE/VTOI? ATTORNEY N, PETERS Pllolo-Lilhogmpher. Wnhingmn.n. c:

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-8heet 2.

EXOAVATOR.

No. 375,132. Eatented Dec. 20, 1 887.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE COX, OF PATERSON, NEl/V'JERSEY.

EXCAVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 375,132, dated December20, 1887. Application filed February 16, 1886. Serial No. 192,130. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE Cox, :1 subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, and residing at the city of Paterson, in the county of Passaicand State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and usefulexcavator or machine for excavating and removing snow fromrailwaytracks, street-railways, streets, sidewalks, and other surfaces,and for the excavation and removal of sand, loose earth, and othermaterials, and for other similar purposes, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a car provided with my excavator. Fig.2 is a vertical section on the line X X, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspectiveview of the apparatus sectioned on the line Y Y, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is ahorizontal section in the plane of the shaft of part of the casing. Fig.5 is a perspective view, partly in section, of the dischargespout of theapparatus and of the means of regulating the de livery of the snow. Fig.6 represents parts of the casing in perspective.

My invention relates to an excavator or machine for the purpose abovementioned, consisting of a revolving fan wheel or beater mounted upon ahorizontal shaft and provided with a suitable casing, so that when thefan is revolved and the apparatus as a whole is moved forward in ahorizontal direction perpendicular to the line of the shaft the snow orother material will be engaged by the vanes of the fan-wheel andretained by the casing in contact with the vanes of the fan-wheel untilit is discharged ina vertical direction through one or more suitableopenings in the casing.

My invention further relates to a set of inclined or curved platesplaced in or over said opening or openings in the casing, and soarranged that when the snow or other material strikes against saidinclined plates it will be deflected and take a component of motionparallel to the shaft and be delivered to one side of the machine.

clined plates, as before stated, and so arranged that either set ofinclined plates may be brought over or in the discharge opening or spoutof the casing, so that the snow or other material may be delivered toeither side of the apparatus. I

To enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and usemy invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

The apparatus is mounted on a car, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Upon theforward end of a car, as represented in Figs. 1 and 2, is secured acasing, 0, approximately ascgment of a hollow cylinder and provided withdouble ends k Jr, and Z Z". The flaring parts 15 t unite the double endsk and Z and are adapted to make an opening through the snow or othermaterial wide enough for. the car to pass.

Upon suitable girders, g g, extending from the front of the car, or upon'other means of support and in suitable bearings, b b, is a horizontalshaft, m, which passes through the center of the hypothetical cylinder,of which casing C is a segment, and to which is keyed or otherwisesecured fan-wheel E. This wheel consists of a set of fans or vanes, o o,&c., attached to radial arms a a. The arms a a are connected by bands orrings M, which thus serve to connect and strengthen these parts andbrace the wheel.

In order to admit of the insertion of shaft in in bearings 11 b, Iprovide the parts j j of easing 0, made separable from the rest of thecasing. I also provide doors of n in the outer ends of easing (l, toadmit of access to bearings b b and to the mechanism conveying motion toshaft in. I also employ guard-bars q q", suitably spaced so as toprevent solid obstructions on the track or other surface from enteringthe machine.

Casing O is provided with a vertical opening or spout, g, the length ofthe wheel and of a suitable width, into which the snow or other materialis delivered from the wheel E. I prefer to divide this spout by a numberof vertical partitions, p 11 &c. I also extend the front and rear wallsof this vertical spout above the level of the rest of the casing bysections or serrations d d, to which are secured plates 0 e by means ofstrips h h, so as to form slots 8 8. Above 19 11 are a series ofinclined or curved plates,p p,passing through slots 8 s in the rear wallof spout g, and another series of plates, 19 10 which incline or curvein an opposite direction, and which pass through slots 8 in the frontWall of spout g.

The plates 1; and p are connected together by plates j, k, and n, whichthus serve to carry and brace these parts. The plat-esj and n areprovided with suitable bearings, so that the entire system of plates j,k, a, p, and p can be moved backward and forward on slides 0 0 and q q,so as to bring either set of deflectingplates 1) or p in spout g. Inorder to move the deflecting-plates either backward or forward,I employa screw, B, mounted in suitable bearings and so arranged as to mesh intothe threads of female screw D; in platej, and connected by intermeshingbevel gear-wheels f to crank-shaft d".

All that part of the casing O in front of spout g and the front wall ofspout may be removed without seriously impairing the action of themachine; but I prefer to retain them and construct on said part ofeasing O the box H to receive platesp when not in use, and to furnishprotection from the snow or other material to slide-bars 0 0. In orderto admit of access to slide-bars o 0, Iprovide box H with a hinged coveror lid, L.

I propose to carry on the car a steam boiler and two steam-enginescoupled to crankskeyed or otherwise secured to the ends of shaft on;butI do not confine myselfto the above or to any other particular motor,nor is there anything special in the arrangement of mechanism'by which Ipropose that motion shall be communicated to the parts described asembodying my invention.

The machine operates as follows: Vhen the fan-wheel is put in rapidrotation and the machine, as a whole, is moved forward by means of alocomotive coupled to the rear of the car, or by other means ofpropulsion, the snow or other material is engaged by vanes 11 o, and iscarried around inside the casing until it is delivered by centrifugalforce into spout g". The snow or other material passing through spoutcomes in contact with deflecting-plates p and takes a component ofmotion parallel to shaft m, so that it willbe delivered to one side ofthe machine. When it is desired to deliver the snow or other material tothe other side of the machine, the screw B is put in rotation, whichcauses plates 12 to take a position back of spout g and the plates p pto enter spout g, so that the snow or other material may be de flectedto the other side of the machine,

In place of using a screw, beveLwheels, and crank-shaft for transmittingmotion to the plates p and any suitable form of gearing may be employed.

WVhen it is not necessary to change the delivery of the snow or othermaterial. from one side of the machine to the other, only one set ofdeflecting-plates will be used and they will be permanently secured inspout 9.

Having thus described my inventionl claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent 1. In an excavator, a revolving fan-wheel partiallyinclosed by a casing, in combination with a vertical spout provided withand containing a set of inclined or curved plates, substantially asdescribed.

2. In an excavator, a revolving fan-wheel partially inclosed by a casingprovided with an opening or spout, in combinationwith two sets of platesinclining or curving in opposite directions and so adapted that eitherset of inclined plates may be brought in or over said spout or opening,substantially as shown and described.

3. In an excavator, a casing. 0, provided with double ends connected byflaring parts i t, substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination of sections d, plates 6, and strips h, substantiallyas and for the purpose specified.

5. The combination of plates 1), 19 j, is, and n, and guides 0 and q,substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

GEORGE COX.

.Vitnesses:

ALEXANDER Intnnnmtr SHAW, WILLIAM AGUSTUS CHAPMAN Hsrrnm.

